Local Music

Today we are featuring the soulful, old-school sounds of Adrian Costa. The Palo Alto bluesman will be on stage Sunday, May 27th at Cato’s Ale House in Oakland. It’s on Sunday, so music starts early, around 5:30pm.

What’s the point of seeing a band live? You want them to be lively, of course. And Le Panique, the band we’re featuring today, knows that. This group, from San Francisco, thinks that if the audience sees the band having fun, it will translate to them. You can check out that translation on Wednesday May 23, when they play Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland.

The sounds you’re hearing are from The Evie Ladin Band, out of Oakland. You may know Evie Ladin as a major part of the Stairwell Sisters. But she also has this band, under her own name. They’ll be playing at a square dance on Friday (05.18) at the Niebyl Proctor Library in Oakland, starting about 8pm. And if you’re interested, there’s a workshop on clog-dancing beforehand, at 6:30pm.

The San Francisco band LoCura reflects the Bay's diverse mix of cultures, histories and people through music that surfs genres and shuns labels. Members of the band come from as far away as Spain, and as close as the Mission district. They blend flamenco, Cuban son, reggae, cumbia, ska and more to make their own border-crossing brand of revolutionary party music. With the release of their new album, Semilla Caminante, the band deepens this mixture of musical and political cultures.

The music you’re hearing now is by folk, blues and jazz pioneer Barbara Dane. The Oakland resident has been performing since the 1950s and was a clear voice in the Peace & Justice and Civil Rights movements of that time.

Dane is planning a concert for her 85th birthday on Mother’s Day (05.13) at the Freight & Salvage Coffee House in Berkeley. Music begins at 8pm.